Service Call
Pre-relationship Steddie • rated G • read on ao3
For @genderthings Transmasc Eddie Week 🖤
Appliance repairman Eddie, single dad Steve, kid fic, pronouns, cuteness
Eddie grumbled to himself as he parked his work van on the street. He’d had to take this call as Jeff was ‘under the weather.’ Which he knew really meant he was ‘violently hungover.’
He rang the bell after doublechecking the address and the door was quickly answered by a small child.
“Hello? Is your grownup home?” He asked, trying to subtly peer behind the kid.
“Maybe,” the kid answered.
Eddie nodded. “You’re right, I’m a stranger. Um, your grownup called to have your washing machine fixed?” He fumbled with his phone for a moment, feeling the intense stare from the child. “Ah, is Steve Harrington here?”
Finally he heard footsteps from inside the house, and an adult called, “Yes, let them in, Emerson.“
Emerson squinted at him, but allowed him to pass.
“Great guard dog you have there, Mr. Harrington,” Eddie laughed, shaking the man’s hand.
“Ah, just Steve is fine. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’ve been trying to YouTube things, but you know,” he shook his head, grimacing.
“It’s usually better left up to the professionals, I’m afraid. They make it complicated on purpose, so you just buy new ones.”
They all stood a bit awkwardly inside the dining room until Eddie shifted uncomfortably, finally looking around like the washer might be running around loose.
“Oh, sorry, it’s just this way.” Steve led him to a small laundry room off the kitchen.
He looked down at it like he’d seen it for the first time. It was covered in magnets and drawings and school papers. “Shit. I’d meant to take those all off. The fucking fridge isn’t magnetic, can you believe that? So I had to let Emerson put them somewhere, they were inconsolable.”
“They? Is there more than one?” He looked around again.
Steve looked stern for a second, slowly explaining, “No, Emerson has decided to go by they/them pronouns. Your company came very highly rated, and you had a rainbow flag on your website, I thought-“
“No, sir, sorry, no offense meant. I apologize. I'm-" He swallowed, still strange about outing himself even though this guy seemed fine. "I’m not usually the morning guy, and I apparently left my brain in my bed.”
This seemed to instantly calm him, and he bent down to carefully take all the papers from the front of the washer.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Eddie sighed, putting his bag down and trying to keep himself from bashing his head against the wall.
Steve and the kid weren’t far away, it sounded as if they’d settled in the kitchen just a few feet away.
“Kiddo, there’s a pirate sword over here, can it go somewhere else?”
Eddie snickered into his shoulder as the kid responded, “The pirates must’ve left it there! I can’t move it!”
“Well the pirates need to come back quickly and get their weapons out of my kitchen,” Steve calmly answered.
There were little footsteps across the kitchen and Eddie’s heart warmed further when he heard a quiet, “Thank you.”
As Eddie was sprawled on his back fighting with the drum of the machine, a head popped into his space.
“Hey kiddo,” he greeted, knowing at least that was safe as Steve had used it. Eddie had already forgotten the kid’s name.
The child, Eddie guessing about four or five, peered into his tool bag, finding and quickly snatching a work glove from it and declaring, “This’ll turn me into a Go Go Power Ranger!” They jumped around for a moment, waiting for some response, Eddie assumed.
“Oh wow, I know about those,” he said reverently.
“Yeah, but not for real life,” they continued. “The real life ones is in the TV.”
Eddie held back a smile, nodding seriously. “Of course.”
He continued ‘hmm’ing and agreeing as the kid kept on this explanation of the powers the gloves would give them as he poked around in the washing machine.
“Oh, ew.”
“What’s ew?” The kid pulled out a step stool out of nowhere and was peering into the drum with Eddie.
Frowning, Eddie wasn’t sure how to phrase what the issue was. “There’s, well, a mysterious gunk in your washer.”
“Probably from the aardvarks that destroyed the mall,” Emerson nodded conspiratorially.
He laughed, finding himself starting to agree automatically. “No, like, for real life.”
It took a few minutes, but he was able to dislodge the mess.
“Mr. Harrington?” Eddie called out into the kitchen.
“Yeah?”
“I found what was wrong with your machine, it uh, well I’m not really sure what it is,” he held up the tangle of florescent colored rubber noodles, which were all also covered in hair, lint and some other slimy substance.
“Oh, babe,” the man sighed, making Eddie’s heart stop. But then he realized the issue.
Emerson was hiding behind his hips, quietly crying.
“I’m sorry,” they hiccuped. “You told me we had to wash them!”
Eddie watched silently as Steve knelt down and hugged them, comforting them and got them up onto a stool at the counter.
They shared a quick knowing glance between them and Eddie quickly disposed of the evidence and started cleaning up in the laundry room.
“It’s okay, kiddo. No harm done, and next time you’ll remember the washing machine is only for clothes, right?”
Emerson nodded emphatically, still sniffling and a bit shaky.
He sat in the stool next to him, leaning in. “Hey, you wanna know a secret?”
The kid looked up with his big brown eyes and gave a short little nod.
Eddie looked over at Steve, making sure he was listening too. “You know, I’ve been going with he/him pronouns for a bit, and I thought they were the right ones. But I think you’ve inspired me to go they/them. Do you think that would be okay if we both had them?”
Steve smiled as Emerson quickly agreed.
“Thanks for everything, Eddie,” Steve started as he walked them out.
“Of course, Mr. Harrington.”
“Steve,” he corrected again.
“Steve,” Eddie repeated. “Hey, could you do me a favor?”
He looked a bit confused but Emerson came to the doorway too. “Sure.”
“Ask me my pronouns?”
Divider by @/pixopix
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